Welcome to MVSA
Dedicated to the study of the Victorian period in Britain, the Midwest Victorian Studies Association’s membership is comprised primarily of teachers, scholars, and students of Victorian history, literature, art history, music, philosophy, and religion — specialists and generalists alike. Although centered in the Midwest, we welcome members and participants from all regions of the United States and abroad.
Since its initial meeting in 1977, MVSA’s principal purpose has been to foster new understandings and appreciations of the Victorians by hosting an annual conference, held each spring at a location in the greater Midwest, and by otherwise encouraging and facilitating scholarly exchange, collaboration, and publication. In past years our conferences have featured self-created Victorian “entertainments,” as well as sessions on Victorian art, music, history, and literature. Typically, the year’s official call for papers is announced around June, and conference proposals are due in late September. We offer a prize for the best graduate student conference paper and an annual dissertation award, the Arnstein Prize.
We are in the process of compiling an online library of photographs, conference programs, memorabilia, etc., and ask that you please pardon our dust while we work to update various sections of the MVSA website.